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The Kingdom of Evermore
Published 4E28 by the Bjoulsae Historical Society, University of Wayrest, with the Blessing of her most Gracious Queen Elysana of Wayrest and all her Dominions: Our Noble Ally, The Kingdom of Evermore: An Introduction The History of Evermore Evermore. Jewel of the South East. The Gateway-House to the Reach, Wrothgaria and Hammerfell. The Hidden Kingdom in the Mountain. Invariably described as "sleepy" or "isolated" in outdated historical accounts of High Rock, the last few decades may have been among the most dramatic in Evermore's history. In a short passage of years the ancient Kingdom of Evermore's fate has been transformed. As it embarks bravely into the future by our side, none now can say what lies next for the once-overlooked dominion of Queen Syllawen Direnni, nor put a limit upon her future accomplishments. The City of Evermore itself perches high amongst the snowy mountain peaks of the eastern arm of the Wrothgarian Mountains. It's immediate surroundings are thick pine forest, small outlying hamlets and farmlands have been hewn in the numerous plateaus along the winding road connecting Western High Rock to the East. Historically, it has been this strategic position on the only safe trade route through the treacherous mountains that has allowed Evermore to grow into the remarkable city it has become: the sprawling metropolis of wood and granite, set alone in the Wrothgarian Mountains. It is believed that, like many of Bretony's great cities, Evermore was originally founded as a trading depot by the Direnni Hegemony in the First Era. Traditionally, the Barons, Dukes and more recently Kings of Evermore have held dominion over the the neighbouring pastoral County of Gwened, though some rulers of Evermore's deep past have stretched their dominion as far west as Orisinium or far into the Reach itself. For most of the Third Era however, Evermore faded into obscurity in the accounts of historians. Holding dominion over no more than its surrounding mountains, Evermore was never the less recognised as a Kingdom in the Imperial Court ever since its part in the War of the Red Diamond, opposing the dread armies of Queen Potema of Solitude. The rest of the third era passed almost without incident. Seasons came and went, snows fell and thawed. Petty wars would sometimes entangle Evermore, but no nation was capable of launching an attack through the narrow mountain paths that are the only access to the Capital. The Kings of Evermore were long content not to expand upon their borders. All this was changed, of course, by the Miracle of Peace. The events of the 10th of Frostfall 3E 417 altered the political landscape of the entire region for ever, wiping away centuries of relative stability. Evermore briefly found itself an apparent Vassal of Oricinium (though this claim was never to be properly staked). In the confusion that followed, Evermore was brought into a hasty Alliance first with Gauvadon and then Wayrest, as the Orcs where pushed out of Eastern Wrothgaria. The victorious armies of Evermore consolidated their position with a number of short conflicts against local Baronies that bordered the ancient Kingdom, reconnecting Evermore's dominance of the corridor between the Bay of Hearts and the Bjoulsea River. As Wayrest looked eastward, the Kingdom of Evermore moved to guarantee the independence of Gauvadon from the advances of our great nation, a treaty that was ratified by the marriage of young Prince Titus to the fair Yvonne of Gauvadon. In 3E 420 Titus would accend to the throne of Evermore to lead a personal union with Gauvadon. This marriage was however to end in disaster, in a scandal too infamous too be repeated here. Suffice to say, Lady Yvonne fled her husband's wrath and returned to Gauvadon in disgrace. The scandal only intensified as accusiations of quite unimaginable baseness where flung, and King Titus was brought to war with the Duchy of Gauvadon. The resulting conflict was drawn out and bloody, ending in a decisive victory and the swift execution of Lady Yvonne. The remaining members of the Ducal family of Gauvadon where driven out, imprisoned or executed and the total vassalisation of Gauvadon was quickly brought about, completing Evermore's dominance over the northern horsemen of the Bjoulsae. An embittered King Titus was soon to test Evermore's military might again, as the crumbling fortunes of Sharnhelm caused a split in its southernmost dominions, between the Counties of Gwened and Portdun. Titus' father had almost sparked war with Northpoint over the County of Gwened, the breadbasket of north-east Wrothgaria, but with the two northern kingdoms at each-other's throats, the way was clear for King Titus. Evermore entered the local conflict, backing the Count of Gwened, and defeated Portdun in a decisive, short war. In gratitude for this service, the Count of Gwened swore fealty to King Titus, stretching his dominion from the border with Wayrest all the way north along much of the Bay of Hearts. Evermore prospered under King Titus and he was well loved. The mountain Kingdom gathered in celebration when King Titus accepted the hand in marriage of a new bride, the Altmer Syllawen Direnni, widely known as the most beautiful Princess in all the Iliac. The people of Evermore where soon to learn that Queen Syllawen did not quite live up to her illustrious name, as a member of perhaps the most famous of all Altmer familes, Great Clan Direnni. The Queen consort showed no particular prowess for the arcane arts; it was often said the only magic to Evermore's new Queen was her beauty. Although Syllawen Direnni was 14 years her husband's senior, in terms of a well-groomed Altmeri princess she was in the blossoming of her youth, and was seen throughout the Kingdom as the crowning jewel in their beloved King's accomplishments. Soon after the arrival of Queen Syllawen, the courts of Wayrest and Evermore began to move closer together. Titus, like his father had been mistrustful of Lady Elysana of Wayrest, but his Elven wife, in her wisdom an ardent admirer of Elysana, soothed his fears and helped instigate what would prove to be a long-lasting and fruitful alliance with our people. A non-aggression treaty was signed in 4E 15, and this was soon put to the test when the ever-ambitious King Titus again involved himself in the downfall of Sharnhelm. In a brutally short war, Portdun was again defeated and added to his Kingdom, declared a Barony of Evermore. In 4E 22, with Evermore's boundaries now stretching from the moors of Markwasten in the north to the stretch of the Bjoulsae River in the south, Queen Elysana deemed it appropriate for Wayrest and Evermore to make offical their alliance. It is thought that Queen consort Syllawen Direnni had again been intimately involved with the creation of this treaty. While Evermore's lands were just as numerous as ours, they were paltry in population and wealth in comparison to Wayrest's holdings across the Iliac, and with King Titus ageing and sickly, Elysanna assumed chief command of Evermore's political affairs. It is around this time that the phrase "Lesser Kingdom" returned as an epithet to Evermore, unused since the Warp in the West. The Great King Titus died in 4E 26, aged 70, prompting the grandest funeral ceremony in Evermore's long history. The minor scandal that was caused by the contents of the dead King's will is not within the remit of the present piece. Again, the bare facts shall suffice: after an independent investigation conducted by the Court of Wayrest and after numerous arcane dating processes, the will of King Titus was proved genuine, and his widow, Syllawen Direnni was declared Queen of Evermore and All Her Dominions. Evermore Now Not two years have passed since Queen Syllawen's Coronation, and yet Evermore is unrecognisable to the Kingdom her beloved husband had ruled. Almost instantly, the Court of Evermore was opened up to guests from across all Tamriel. The prestige of the name Direnni and the unusual allure of Queen Syllawen herself has brought the famous and the brilliant flocking to the Hidden Kingdom in the Mountain. The wooden boulevards of Evermore are now draped in exotic colours, banners that change for each day of the week. Festivals, tournaments of wit, artistry and magery are a constant feature of the life of Evermore. The Jewel in the Wrothgarian Mountains now never sleeps, and strange new faces are always to be found taking the picturesque road to Evermore, all to visit the restless, now-famous Court of Evermore. Needless to say, the new Queen of Evermore is a somewhat divisive figure amongst her people. Whereas Syllawen Direnni is a reportedly a sensation in places as far-flung as Narsis and even Lilmoth, a large portion of the nobility of Evermore do not find their new Sovereign so agreeable. While the vast majority of her subjects find no qualm with her Altmer heritage, Queen Syllawen's eccentric behavior and extravagant lifestyle has raised many brows amongst the traditionalists throughout her dominion. It is a common joke, heard especially amongst the landed Nobility of Portdun and Gauvaden, to refer to Queen Syllawen's reign as "The Second Direnni Hegemony". Syllawen's reputation amongst the serfs could not be more different. All those not backward enough in their thinking to not allow for an Altmer on the throne appear to adore the Queen of Evermore. One of the few political contributions Syllawen has made in her so far short reign was the controversial abolition of all tariffs to Wayrest, and the entering into a trade league with our City-state. The result of this was an instant influx of guilds from Wayrest's holds in the Iliac, which already have swept away the old burgher order. While many of the middle classes resent Syllawen for this, the wealth soon followed, bringing more trade through Evermore's dominions than it has ever seen before. Gwened and Portdun in particular have benefited from this policy and it is said the lower classes in those lands hold Syllawen in even higher esteem than the indefatigable, late Titus. Strengthened with the trade and wealth of Wayrest, the highways of Evermore are safer than ever in the ancient Kingdom's history. Even as Queen Syllawen splits opinion, she unites Evermore under a new ideal. It is the prominent mage class of her Kingdom that perhaps owes the most to the quite remarkable Queen. The flow of foreign ideas, philosophers, sorcerers and poets that pass through the Court of Evermore are sparking what some are already calling a new Golden Age of Culture for the ancient Kingdom. While the bitter, conservative-minded traditionalists whisper that some point the coffers will run out, or the Alliance of Wayrest may lead Evermore into conflicts inadvisable, what is undoubtable is that Evermore has turned over a new leaf; and the next history to be written of the once-sleepy Hidden Kingdom in the Mountain will be more fascinating and unpredictable than any preceding. ~ Louis Collywood, University of Wayrest, 4E28 Category:Lore Category:Evermore